Scoring device



p 8, 1964 1.. A. SHEERAN 3,147,676

SCORING DEVICE Filed Oct. 1, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l n INVENTOR pg LLOYD ALAN SHEERAN N BY ATTORNEYS Sept. 8, 1964 1.. A. SHEERAN SCQRING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 1, 1962 INVENTOR. ALAN SHEERAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,147,676 SCORING DEVICE Lloyd Alan Sheeran, Cranston, R.I., assignor to Rite-Size forrillgated Machinery Co., a corporation of Rhode slan Filed flct. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 227,209 2 Claims. (Ci. 9358.1)

This invention relates to a scoring device of a type which is useful in the packaging industry. It is also adaptable to slitting cutters, marking and perforating devices and the like.

Packaging materials such as corrugated board require that an indentation be placed in the material to create a permanent deformation such as a line indentation which will insure that when the material is folded, it will fold along this indentation line evenly throughout the length thereof. The prior art of the packaging industry has disclosed that usually a scoring bar in the form of a re ciprocating bar is used, or a number of rollers which are adapted to engage the surface of the board under pressure so as to create the necessary indentation. Generally machines for processing corrugated board in this fashion have embodied the use of a bed plate with a number of feeding devices spaced therealong which tend to assist in the processing of the board by feeding it either continuously or intermittently as necessity dictates. In the prior machines of which I am aware, the corrugated material is not kept under constant control while being fed.

Accordingly, the general object of this invention is to continually hold the material in pressurized control during all positions of processing thereof regardless of the longitudinal dimension of the blank being processed.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for creating scores or creases in any desired dimensionally spaced relationship.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view partly in section showing the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational View taken in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1 of a portion thereof;

'FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view of a corrugated blank after it has been processed by the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing the same blank in folded condition; and

FIG. 7 is a detached perspective view showing a form of packaging that may be readily produced by the use of the instant invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a scored blank of the kind that is formed by the instant machine. The corrugated sheet B is formed from the usual corrugated board of the requisite weight and strength. The sheet B has a plurality of indentations or depressions formed therein shown as indentations B1 through B8. When the blank is made up into a divider, it will appear as illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein the area between the score lines B1 and B2 form an inner vertical wall, the area between score lines B2 and B3 forming a top wall, the area between score lines B3 and B4 forming an outer end wall and likewise a similar situation existing at the other end of the blank, the outer end wall defined between the score lines B5 and B6 and inner wall defined between the score lines B7 and B8 and a top wall defined between the score lines B6 and B7. In this position the end flap of the blanks Fland F2 are folded back in juxtaposition to the blank to give rigidity to the boxlike structure formed at either end of the blank in folded condition. This structure gives a usual form of inner liner that is quite common in the packaging trade, and of course it will be understood that other forms of devices may be formed by the machine merely by varying the distance between the score lines and their position relative to the blank. For instance, in FIG. 7 a type of nesting container is shown in which four score lines are simultaneously formed in a box blank, all of which may be readily made by the instant machine.

The machine embodying the present invention is adapted for scoring the generally described blanks B and is provided with a plurality of scoring devices which may be readily moved transversely of the direction of the sheet travel in the machine. The machine is illustrated as comprising generally a work supporting means in the form of a belt 10 or there may be a plurality of belts which form a support upon which the blank may travel towards the scoring machine. The belt 10 carrying the material towards the machine may be mounted in a variety of ways which need not be detailed in connection with the instant application only so far as to say that it travels over the usual guide drums as is well known in the conveying art. The belt terminates in close proximity to the scoring machine which is mounted between a pair of end supports designated generally 11 and 12, and running between these supports are a number of pairs of lower and upper transverse supporting members, one pair being 14, 15 and additional pairs being designated generally 16. These members take the form of channel irons as shown more particularly in FIG. 3.

Mounted upon the lower channel iron 14 are a pair of ways and 21 which extend the length of the supporting transverse member. The ways in turn support a creaser assembly generally designated 25. Similarly the upper channel 15 is provided with a pair of Ways 22 and 23 that carry another scoring device that is adapted to operate with the lower scoring device 25 so that basically the lower device 25 carries a set of lower or female scoring rolls 27 while the upper member 26 carries a male scoring member 28. Each of the scoring rolls 27 and 28 are mounted for rotation on shafts 29 and 30 respectively, which shafts are rotated by a pair of gears 31, 32 and 33, 34 respectively from hex drive shafts 35 and 36. The gears 32 and 34 are fixed to suitable hubs that are keyed to the drive shafts 35 and 36 but are free to move therealong axially of the shafts and transversely of the machine so as to locate the position of a score line such as B in the blank.

The scoring members 25 and 26 which comprise the rolls and the parts just alluded to above comprise a pair of carriage members 40, 41 and 42, 43 respectively that ride on the respective ways. The carriage members 41, 43 suitably have journalled therein the shafts 29 and 30 while the carriage members and 42 are provided with a number of apertures for the reception of lead screws therein. The carriage members are also suitably bolted together or otherwise secured together by means which have been eliminated from the drawing for clarity purposes. Rotatably mounted on the carriage pieces 41 and 43 are a pair of rollers 45, 46 and 47, 48 respectively. Around these rollers there is guided belt means 49 and 50 for gripping the work prior to its being engaged with the creaser rolls feeding the work through the creaser rolls and holding the work beyond its location of creasing, a belt 49 being guided around the rollers and 46 and also being guided by a hub extension 52 and a similar arrangement being present for the belt which passes around rollers 47, 48 and is guided by a corre- Patented Sept. 8., 1964 sponding hub extension similar to the hub extension 52.

A set of members '25 and 26 is provided for each score line to be made. To adjust a set of these members 25 and 26 transversely of the mechanism to locate the position of the score line, a number of lead screws herein shown as 8 in number for each set of scoring mechanisms extend from one end of the frame to the other, as between the supports 11 and 12. The lead screws, which are herein designated 60 through 67, are arranged in a fashion whereby one lead screw makes a driving engagement with each carriage for moving the same transversely of the frame. For example, as illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 4, the lead screw 62 is adapted to engage a nut 72 that is firmly secured in the plate 42 while the lead screw 63 is adapted to pass through a bushing 73 in the same end plate 42. Accordingly, in connection with the scoring mechanism 26, the drive lead screw is 62, while the other lead screws 60, 61 and 63 all pass through the mechanism by bushings respectively indicated as 70, 71 and 73. These other lead screws will then be adapted to engage other scoring mechanisms located on the same ways but spaced from those shown so that each may be individually driven. The scoring mechanism 25 will also have a drive lead screw, and in this case the drive lead screw would be the lead screw 67 which would be received in a nut 77 securely fastened in the end frame 40, the other lead screws 64, 65 and 66 passing merely through bushings 74, 75 and 76. It would be understood that the lead screws 62 and 67 are driven in synchronism by a suitable gearing arrangement located within the end support 11 so that simultaneous movement of the scoring -mechanisms 25 and 26 will take place along their respective ways, thus keeping in registry the male scoring member 28 with the female member 27.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3, it will be noted that adjacent scoring members have been located in close proximity to the scoring members 25 and 26. Accordingly, the scoring units generally designated 80 and 81 which are similarly mounted on the channels of 16 as were the scoring units 25 and 26 on the channels 14, 15 and these may be slightly ofiset from the position of the scoring units-25 and 26. Together the units 25, 26 and 80, 81. will produce the pair of scores B7 and B8 as shown, in the diagrammatic view of FIG. 5. The close proximity of the second set of scoring means located on the ways 16 permit the blank material to be continuously held in pressurized control as the distance between the belt control from one set of scoring devices to the next is on the order of under 2 inches, and thus the feed belts of the devices 80, 81 will grip the blank before the devices 25, 26 let go of the blank, and this also will permit simple and easy transfer of the blank material from one set of scoring means to the next. The mechanism as shown in the drawing has contemplated the use of four sets of scoring devices mounted on each set of ways with two sets of ways, but it will of course be understood that by merely adding another lead screw for each set of creasers, this number may be increased. There is, however, a practical limitation as to the number of creasing units located on any one set of ways without unduly complicating the mechanism which perhaps might be considered a designers choice. It will be apparent, therefore, that this invention provides means of creating scores to the extent in number of the number of creasing devices provided on any one set of ways or in multiple arrangement on any plurality sets of ways, the Ways being generally mounted in parallel relation extending transversely of the feed of the work. Further the invention provides any desired dimensional spaced relationship of the scores each to the other and also provides that the blank material will be continuously held in pressurized control position by the belt feed mechanism that is integral with the scoring rolls.

While this invention has been described particularly in connection with a mechanism for creating a score line, it will of course be apparent to those skilled in the art that these terms of description are purely illustrative since the scoring rolls 27, 28 may be readily replaced by other devices such as rotary knives, a type roll and back-up roll for use as a marking device, mating punch and dies for perforating and any other similar devices which operate on corrugated board or the like by using mating devices.

I claim:

1. In a scoring machine or the like having a plurality of pairs of upper and lower rollmeans, material support means to conduct material to said roll means to be operated thereon comprising belt means, said belt means being elongated in a direction normal to the rotational axis of said roll means by spaced rollers, said roll means having a work producing section and a belt section adjacent'thereto', said belt means passing over the rollers and the belt section of said roll means, the rollers carrying the belt means on juxtapositioned roll means being closely spaced to provide pressurized contact of an object positioned therebetween.

2. An arrangement as in claim 1 including a pathway for gliding sheet material toward said pairs of roll means at the elevationof the roll means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,621,285 Solomon Mar. 15, 1927 1,859,513 Hope et al. May 24, 1932 2,982,189 Shields May 2, 1961 3,087,392 Ward et al. Apr. 30, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 160,862 Germany May 23, 1905 

1. IN A SCORING MACHINE OR THE LIKE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF UPPER AND LOWER ROLL MEANS, MATERIAL SUPPORT MEANS TO CONDUCT MATERIAL TO SAID ROLL MEANS TO BE OPERATED THEREON COMPRISING BELT MEANS, SAID BELT MEANS BEING ELONGATED IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE ROTATIONAL AXIS OF SAID ROLL MEANS BY SPACED ROLLERS, SAID ROLL MEANS HAVING A WORK PRODUCING SECTION AND A BELT SECTION ADJACENT THERETO, SAID BELT MEANS PASSING OVER THE ROLLERS AND THE BELT SECTION OF SAID ROLL MEANS, THE ROLLERS CARRYING THE BELT MEANS ON JUXTAPOSITIONED ROLL MEANS BEING CLOSELY SPACED TO PROVIDE PRESSURIZED CONTACT OF AN OBJECT POSITIONED THEREBETWEEN 